This invention relates to restraining, and more specifically, but not exclusively, to restraining means for seats. The invention is particularly concerned with providing restraining means which can be conveniently adjusted.
There are several uses for seats with restraining means such as amusement park rides, motor vehicle seats, child high chairs or child safety seats which can be releasably secured to existing seats within a motor vehicle. All of these applications require restraining arrangements which can accommodate individuals of different sizes. Restraining arrangements can consist of rigid assemblies, as is often the case for amusement park rides, but this invention is particularly concerned with strap type restraining harnesses.
The effectiveness of a strap type restraining harness is largely dependent on the number of straps, the strap length between anchorage points and the number and position of anchorage locations relative to the occupant. Harness designs for the aforementioned applications must take into account the comfort of the restrainee, which may be adversely affected when these factors are designed based on restraining effectiveness, as well as the type or nature of the restrainee, e.g. child, adult, disabled person, and so on.
Conventional harness straps generally brace against a fixed location relative to the seat, or on the seat itself, and means for adjusting the length of the straps is often provided. This arrangement is usually adequate when there is only one harness strap, as is can be the case with some rear seats of a motor vehicle. However, the front seats of a motor vehicle are generally fitted with one strap across the lap of the occupant and another that runs diagonally across the occupant's abdomen, often referred to as a shoulder strap. The shoulder strap extends diagonally from a fixing point on one side of the occupant's pelvis across his or her abdomen and over the shoulder on the opposite side to a bracing or fixing location remote from the seat. The effectiveness of the harness and comfort of the occupant are both dependent on the path of the strap relative to the occupant's body, which is defined by the fixing or bracing points at either end of the strap. It is therefore advantageous to provide adjustability in the fixing and/or bracing locations.
Harness strap arrangements with adjustable bracing points are known, particularly in the case of safety belts for motor vehicles. For example, a seat belt assembly for restraining a front seat passenger often comprises adjustment means for altering the height of the shoulder strap bracing location. The adjustment means is generally fixed to the frame of the vehicle, but separate from the seat. Consequently, the adjustability of the shoulder strap is limited by the size and shape of the seat to comfortably accommodate different size individuals.
It is therefore one object of this invention to provide a seat with simple means for easily adjusting the bracing point of harness straps that is not limited by the dimensions of the seat.